Labyrinth: Four seasons project
by Margot-Eve
Summary: Jareth being Jareth and getting into big trouble. And this time it seems that no one else can save him. So what on earth does Sarah do there? J/S with humorus additions of Sarah's roommate and goblins.
1. Prologue: simple intro: dadadadam

**Disclaimer**: Jareth, Sarah, Ludo, Hoggle, Sir Dydimus and-who-else-I-may-include-here-from-"Labyrinth" belongs to Jim Henson; Audrey,and everyone else belongs to me. Thank you (propably you even don't read it, but nevermind).

**Prologue**

Do you like stories? Of course you do. What would you say if you knew, that all of them are real? That somewhere everything that you have dreamed about is true? Believe me, it is. And because of that fact They exist. I'm not talking about the aliens. I'm talking about the Palace Beyond. Beyond Time and Space, beyond Light and Darkness. Empire. It exist only inside the Palace, it's a residence of shadow and gloom and is ruled by the Great Fifth Empress, the Queen of the Abyss, the Ruler of Vampires and her name is Audrey.

But you ask, why do I talk about some dusty old place and rusty vampire queen if you wanted to read a "Labyrinth" fan fiction? Well, because once in a time there is a meeting of the Royal Faes council and our good friend, King of Goblins, Jareth participate in it. I cannot say that he enjoy it. Oh well, what done is done and here he is. Bored as hell and annoyed. Look out dear King, because the Fate like moments like this and something hangs in the air. Let's the spectacle begin right now.


	2. Chapter 1: Thirteen months

**Chapter 1:**

**Thirteen months**

The vast Enter Hall was filled up with a noise so unlike to this place. This all fuss was about the Council meeting. Kings and Queens were appearing in regular intervals of time. The portals has _zipped_ as they were entering the Palace and _puffed_ when guest were in. If you try to listen it for more than five minutes, irritation would be the lightest description to your feelings. And so was for Jareth.

"Someone is going to pay for that", he muttered, sending a death glance to another servant of Audrey, who passed him and get to yet another council member, this time it was a Faeries Princess. If Goblin King's memory was good only two of councilor left. Empress and her stupid rules! He could get to his apartment by himself! But no, he had to wait until one of her servants come and lead him there. This was so annoying and humiliating! And why he couldn't have his goblins? He needed to get trough this circus every bloody time. But this time… Jareth growl silently with irritation.

"Angry?" a soft voice spoke behind him. The King turned his head and looked at almost thirteen years old girl with black white of the eye and yellow iris. A Chronicler. A demon of the Harmony. An emotionless creature. She pierced him with her look. "Don't be. It is still not as that bad as it can get. See?" she pointed to the left. A servant was running trough the hall then suddenly stopped before Jareth. The King looked at Chronicler but she was already gone. So he focused on hardly breathing servant.

"My deepest apologies, Your Highness", young man spoke to Goblin Ruler as he manage to catch a breath.

_His Highness_ didn't care about it. He start walking in the direction he always does.

"Umm excuse me, Your Majesty, but it's the opposite way."

"What do you mean by opposite way?" Jareth respond aggressively.

Servant seemed to shrink before Goblin King's eyes. "We… We got… we needed to make a major repairs, sir, to that palace wing, sir. After…King Creyen…"

"Then just shut up and lead me to my rooms!"

"Yes, sir, right away, sir"

Servant bow to him several times and finally lead Jareth to his apartment.

Audrey's head hurt. One of her new servant got lost in the Palace and made one of the Kings wait. And the worst thing was the fact that this waiting king was Jareth The Goblin King. Empress felt like she needs an Aspirin. Faes actually didn't like her that much. Why? Well, once she was a human being. Her origin was a race on which the Faes Kings should bring misfortune not to bow heads before them. And the worst of all, she dares to be a vampire and rule them! This will never be good. Listening to orders of creature born and living in blood and pain, how low they have fall. No. How low her Empire have fall to be ruled by her.

And Jareth was worst among them. At first she though he would be a good ally. A _Mountain King, _the rest call him. But she was mistaken. A Fae is still a Fae.

Jareth could finally rest. He was tired. The portal which lead straight to the Palace Beyond lies faaaar away from his castle. And on top of that, his magic don't work in ten kilometers area from the portal, so he needed to walk there! Empress and her idiotic rules. So when he saw a large sofa in his room he almost, **almost**, laugh with joy. Goblin King looked around his apartment, and sight. Everything were in colors of Empire. Black, white, grey, eventually silver, it seems like Audrey is not very creative about decoration. His eyes stopped at gigantic mirror and he smiled. He looked like he was a part of this décor, except for hairs, of course. For the meeting Jareth has decide to wore his black attire, exactly the same dress he wore during his first meeting with Sarah Williams. Even the cloak was the same, the one with high collar.

His mind floated in this unfortunate night. Why? Why has she rejected him? Why has she chosen this child not him? He offered her everything she would ever wonted. He even offered her himself! And she still dares do reject him! What was wrong? Was there anything wrong in his actions? Well, maybe, but it wasn't his fault! A_ piece of cake_, she said. Piece of cake! His labyrinth is not a piece of cake! Ok, calm down, Jareth. What about the mask ball? It was her dream, and he even took a part in it. It was for real. And what did she done again? She ran away! Ok, she did, so what? He gave her another chance. He asked for so little. Just to fear him, love him, and listen to what he says. Is that too much? King shook his head. Stop it. It will lead you nowhere. What done is done. Forget about her. But it was easier to say than done. Jareth has never faced such a defeat before. It was different… Wrong. He knew the taste of failure, but this time, he was… disappointed? Oh, for his Kingdom sake! Those bloody humans! You gave them a chance, and what?!

"Egoistical jerk", Jareth looked around his room shocked. Who was talking? "Over here, you dumb cretin" And the voice came from…

"Sweet stars!" Mirror, his own reflection has offend him!

"Don't stare at me, like that! You look even more idiotic then normal."

"What, the…"

"Think for once! We're in The Palace Beyond. It's completely normal for mirrors to talk in here, besides I'm your conscience."

"Excuse me?"

The conscience was about to say something, but a knock on the door has interrupted it.

"Your Majesty, the meeting is about to start", servant, Jareth remembered his name was Cian, announced from behind of the door.

Goblin King got up and looked at the mirror. His reflection was still sitting on the sofa.

"I'll wait" it said with some kind of sadistic joy and smile.

Original growled and slammed the door after he left the room, scaring the servant even more.

"_I need to change my work"_, Cian decide while observing a pissed of King, "_definitely not good for my nerves"._

Minute by minute Jareth was getting angrier and angrier, his nerves were reaching their limits. Oh, he knew, who he should blame for that. Empress. That's her fault, that the mirror spoke, her fault Sarah rejected him, her stupid rules for walking whole ten kilometers, her fault the servant got late and he has to wait, and her fault his old apartment in Palace was in ruin. Actually everything that goes wrong is her fault! And others Rulers. He watched them as they were fighting with each other completely ignoring his presence there. He glowered at Audrey. How calm she was. To calm, she planned something. And they won't like it.

Audrey looked at the faces of councilors in audience hall. It was never easy for her. She just couldn't imagine how The Third Great Empress got along with those people. Maybe not exactly the same, but the sense was the same. Perhaps, the reason was origin of the Third Empress, she was an Elf Princess, while Audrey is a vampire. Racist bastards. If they just stop arguing with each other. Only Jareth seemed calm enough to talk to. She sighed. Her headache got worse. If only Lucifer was here, but unfortunately her husband had an urgent in Hell and couldn't be there. So tired, unhappy Empress tried to get a hold of herself and go on with this.

"Please, noble rulers of your realms", _noble my ass,_ "you need to calm down for a moment. I know the cases you came with are important, but I have an even more urgent case to discuss… Or, more suitable would be, to announce", finally everyone's eyes turned at her. "Thank you. As you remember, lately we had a _little_ problem" her last words she said with care, "I know, that many of you have cut your contact with Aerial Kingdom, to show your loyalty to Empire, and I appreciate it. I have already chosen a new King for that Kingdom…"

"Who?" Elves King asked with anger, "Who have you assign to it? Because if my memory is still good it's my youngest son, who should be chosen. Who is it? One of your kind?" he spat the last word as if it was something disgusting.

"No, Zin, it's not a **vampire**. I know the rules. As few of you have said before, I replaced air with rules for me to breath." Audrey observed with triumph how Water Queen and Faeries Princess turned red and got the hiccup. "It is someone who you already know. But still this information will be a shock for you, I suppose."

"Oh, just say it!" Zane wife demanded.

"A new King for Aerial Kingdom is Deimon, Creyen's banished cousin"

Another triumph, all of Kings and Queens faces turned pale, except for Trolls High general, he just got more green in his grey skin.

"We hope you know what are you doing." Salamanders King hissed. "For a traitor to join our council…"

"I know, what you mean Shamal. But trust me. This is the best choice we could made, right now"

"Then, where is he? Where is our new member?" Faerie Princess squealed.

"He is not ready, yet. First he needs to calm down the situation in his new Kingdom."

"Is that all you wanted us to know?" Jareth hissed.

"No", she took a deep breath, now the hardest part. "The second announcement is about the safety in the Empire. All of you know about Chroniclers, and you all accept their existence…"

"Because they live in the ninth level of reality, and they do not stick their noses into politic" Jareth interfered her.

"Well, yes…"

"Because they actually don't care about it, not like some other persons" a Nymphs Prince added with smirk.

"_Touché, jerks. 2:2._" If the eyes could kill, those two would die in a snap.

"I understand your point", Audrey's voice turned into ice, "but if you allow me to finish. You accept the existence of Chroniclers and you know about Hunters." How could they don't know about the number one in the whole Multiversum army? It was another reason they joined the council. A Military power. No one dares to attack them because of Hunters. This time it was Audrey to smirk. "I want to place one or two of Hunters in your courts. And it's not a wish. I simply don't want to repeat this whole case with Crayen"

Everyone shivered and looked at their hands, who would be such a suicide to even try.

"I assure you that my subjects won't be a problem for you, just treat them as the part of the scenery, nothing more", she finished with light smile. She won. They will agree. And then… a laugh. Who…? Oh, no…

Jareth knew that Audrey was up to something, but this… She's good. Really good. It made him laugh. When everyone were giving him a terrified look, he could just laugh.

"Ah! I'm sorry, Your Majesty! Your speech was magnificent, but excuse me, if it wasn't an attempt to black mail us? You just sit there and look at us like a wolf on rabbits. Forgive me if you're not trying to take a complete control over us. Do you, Your Highness? Giving a position of a King to a person banished from our world ages ago, and saying whole of your stuff, it's almost like dictatorship, my lady. Have you thought that we, The Great Monarchs of the Underworld will bow before you?" _Her fault, only her fault, everything is her fault, and now she's trying to take away my Kingdom! "_You, whose power, and status is only thanks to us?! You human breed! You're no match for us. You….",he tried to find a fitting word, a nail to her coffin. And found it. "You _nishuella"_

A sound of quickly inhaled air rang trough the hall. Everyone shove back from Jareth.

"_It's you're funeral, pal"_ this moment his conscience chose for remind him about itself .

"_Now you're saying…"_

Councilors eyes turned from Jareth to Audrey, to see an arctic fury of Empress and… something else, unfortunately to fast to catch.

"The meeting will be cancelled for now…" she hissed with wrath.

Empress was almost dashing trough the corridors. The word Jareth has said… nishuella. It was a terrible offend, and ancient word used only by those **inside **The Palace, not by a minor King like Jareth. And that was the only reason she won't decapitate him. For now. Because now, she need to find Eve, and kill her with her own hands. Of course it won't work on Chronicler but the satisfaction is still a satisfaction.

Jareth was sitting at the desk in his room and from time to time he was hitting the desk with his head. And the mirror wasn't helping.

"This time you did it, Jareth"

"Shut up."

"What were you thinking? You have just deadly offend the Empress! From where do you even know this word?!"

"How could I know?! It just popped up in my head and I thought it was good one"

"Well it is good if you have a dead wish! Now say goodbye to your Kingdom and life, and hello Abyss!"

"Have you finished?"

"Yes. Well you know you could just change into an owl or something and we could get out of it alive…"

"I thought you are my conscience."

"I am. But I want to live as well."

"The idea is quite good, the problems are Hunters. You know they can distinguish between normal owl and magically transformed Goblin King."

He sighed heavily. For a while no one spoke until the doors opened and Empress came in. If she was hoping for him to beg for her forgiveness she was wrong. He just got upright, not even moving from his chair. She stood.

"Jareth" she started slowly "I…Maybe I start like this. I don't want to black mail you. Or anything else but you just don't give me a chance to be fair with you. And Hunters in your Kingdom… they won't be there forever, it supposed to be temporally. That's what I wanted to explain. And now the right case. I know that you couldn't know that word. But still you used it. And because of it I shall punish you, but I give you a chance to redeem yourself, if you fail I'll send you into the Abyss. Do you want to say something?"

He was shocked. Totally. Does she meant it?

"How long?" Jareth felt his throat got bone-dry.

"Thirteen months, one month for organize your stuff in Goblin Kingdom, the rest you'll spend in human world."

"Is there some kind of a catch?"

"You may say so. Good for you to ask. I will assign to you one of the Chronicler to keep an eye on you. Oh, and one more thing. At the end of each month the Chronicler is going to take away from you a piece of your power. The last piece will be your immortality. That's all, I suppose, if I forgot about something the Chronicler will inform you later." She snapped her fingers and Cian came in carrying a plate with a tall crystal glass on it. Empress took the glass very delicately and gave it to Jareth. "If you agree, then drink it"

Goblin King cast a surprised glance on Audrey. "Drink? It's empty."

"No it's not. Look inside"

King stirred carefully the glass. She was right something has splashed inside silently. He sighed again this day. "No, choice I suppose."

The taste of that liquid, if it was a liquid, was strange. Like you were drinking an air. You have the impression of drinking but it's more like breathing. It fills you in some weird way. More like pervade every cell in your body. And cast a cold pain. Taking away all of your senses. Before he lost his consciousness he heard:

"You'll get used to it."

* * *

Here should be disclaimer, right? Well, I obviously have updated this chapter since I spotted few errors, just missing letters, but If there is more than that, please let me know.

Jareth, Sarah, Goblins - Jim Henson, everything eles is my own imagination and creation. Thank you.


	3. Chapter 2:Autumn: Annie

**Chapter 2:**

**Autumn: Annie's Labyrinth**

Sarah felt like it was just yesterday. A fear for unknown, excitement for an adventure and meeting new peoples. Yes, first year of college is kind of a scary, isn't it? A brand new life on your own. Now again sitting in her room, with half-unpacked suitcases, a memories came back.

Her last day before the lesson starts wasn't lucky at all. She couldn't find a free room at school academics. Or they were already full, or the only available roommate was a guy. Slowly Sarah began to loose her fait.

When she start to dial another number somebody knocked to the telephone booth.

"I don't have whole day, miss", a tall woman, a little bit older than Sarah was tapping at her watch.

"I'm sorry but could you wait a little bit? I need to find a free room..."

"First year college? Not from here?"

"No, so if you please..."

"Blah! Stop it! I'm looking for a roommate too."

For a while Sarah was standing there wordless. Woman has used this moment and got Sarah out of the call box.

"Now you wait here" she commanded and closed the glass door.

And Sarah has waited. For twenty minutes and when the strange women finally has finished talking she got a chance to get a better view on her future roommate. Slim, wearing black trousers from suit, loose tie on white, good fitted shirt and... sneakers. Her face was triangular, big black eyes with ironical sparkles, wide smile, short dark blond hairs with warm brown and golden reflects. And something that made her a trustworthy person at first sight.

"My name is Annie, don't bother with surname."

"Sarah Williams", she smiled too and both women has shook hands. "But won't you asked me some questions?"

"Questions? Sure. Do you hit the bottle?"

"No"

"Drugs?"

"No!"

"Smoking?"

"What kind of questions are they?!"

"I suppose this means no. Wonderful. You passed the exam. Now, something more comfortable and friendly. What do you study?"

"Acting"

"Sweet, a new Hollywood star. I think we should go to your new home Sarah, shall we?" And Annie start walking, if dashing would be called a walk. Sarah got only a second to grab her stuff and run after her. "You don't have much on you, do you?"

"Well, my father will send the rest. I just need to get to... uh"

"What?"

"I could just rang to him, when we were at that phone box."

Annie chuckled. "Don't worry, when we get to apartment building you'll have your phone call. Do you work?"

"Well..."

"Just as I though. Near the building is a library, and they currently looking for help."

"My God, you're an angel or something?"

"More likely a fallen one" she send her one of her biggest grin. "I just want to make sure you're going to pay on time, it's my interest too."

"Oh, right, how high the rent is?"

"Don't worry, you'll manage" the smile seemed to faint a little.

"I suppose so, but I would be more comfortable with the knowledge how much I'll need to pay."

And Annie told her. And Sarah though she's going to faint at that exact moment.

"This... this much? How... how I suppose to pay it?"

"Chill out, kid. You're paying only quarter of it" Sarah counted slowly nodded her head.

"If that's so, then... from where do you get the rest?"

"My work bring a lot of profits."

"Who are you then? A mafia's boss?"

But her new friend haven't respond just smiled mysteriously. Few minutes later they got to the apartment building. Annie has lead Sarah to the landlady to fulfill all of the formalities. Sarah didn't know why, but her new roommate was humming Chopin's funeral march...

The landlady remind Sarah about the goblin bag lady, taller and with a pit bull face. When she finished Annie joked:

"A ray of sunshine isn't she?"

Sarah started to wonder if Annie's smile can get on 360 degrees wide, because her face probably needed to stretch like gum for it to get fit on her face.

And that's how Sarah met Annie, the most crazy roommate in the world. But it was only a beginning.

For Sarah, Annie was a totally mystery. Every question she gave her was left with a double meaning answer. Never straight, making Sarah even more curious. For example:

"What do you study?"

"People"

"What dose it mean"

"You tell me."

"It's insane"

"Like we all are."

"Can't you just give me clear answer?"

"Maybe…"

It took Sarah few more months to find out Annie's age. Twenty six, then her work as a… psychiatrist and a professor at Sarah's university. And the most pissing off fact was that Annie got a great fun watching Sarah little investigation.

"That's not fair", she protested once. "Why can't you just say it to me? You know, like in a girls-only party, or something? Why do I have to investigate!?"

"You say it so often. I wonder what your sense for comparison is.", her roommate said with her usual ironical smile. And for second Sarah had froze, the memory quickly flash in front of her eyes. She swallow hard. Her friend have notice nothing at all. So she continued.

"If you want me to stop repeating myself, then maybe some explanation would made it."

Annie sigh theatrically

"What do you know so far about me"

"Well. You're twenty six, an excellent psychiatrist, now I know from where you have money for rent, and that you're teaching at university. But I don't know anything about your family, past or preferences. You never listen to music when I'm around, you never told me about your favorite movie. And you're silly habit to speak different accents from time to time, no one knows, from where are you. You're cynical and ironic."

"For me it's plenty enough."

"But it's like you don't have a specific personality. It's like you're acting all the time. It's bugging me."

The grin on Annie's face got wider, again.

"I know, that's why I like being myself. Because it piss off people. And that's part of my characteristic. Another puzzle for you Sarah."

And that did it. Sarah had enough of her mysterious roommate, that more, and more start to remembering her a particular person. If she doesn't want Sarah to know her better then she's going to stop trying. But the funniest thing about looking for something is, when you stop looking, you'll find even more. And so, at the same evening Sarah found it.

She was tired after her switch in library, she opened the doors and hanged her jacket, when she heard a loud scream from Annie's room.

"Oh, no you won't!" and rumble, like something fell on the floor.

Sarah caught a pan from the kitchen and ran to rescue her friend. And when she got there, she saw a weird scene, and she needed a second to understand it.

There was Annie. And there were goblins. The goblins were tied together. Annie was sitting on one of the goblins and tiding him. And the hole room where covered with socks. Then Annie looked at Sarah. And Sarah looked at Annie. They were both looking at each other for a while. Then Annie spoke

"Sarah, the things that you're seeing are just your imaginations. There is no brown and green creatures in this room. You're tired and…"

"Cut it out, Annie. I know what I'm seeing", this time it was Sarah to smile wide. "The are goblins"

Woman made a confused face. "Uh huh. I suppose we know the same person, do we?"

"I suppose, so. Your brother or sister?"

"The youngest sister, but it wasn't me to wished her away. I just stick my nose in not my business."

"Want to talk about it?"

A pause made for Annie to think and then… "Ok, but you're going to speak first."

One story later…

"Wow, what an epic journey. So you stayed in touch with your friends?"

"Actually yes. They were a big help for me. Remembering me that I should not take things for granted."

"And have you thought about His Tight Pantiness, after this whole story?"

"Rarely. Hoggle said there is nothing for me to worry about. You know I defeat him, what if it caused some problems for them?"

"Ah, such a big, caring heart, aren't you?"

"Ok, now you, say, how it was with you?"

"Um, pretty normal, I say"

"Annie!"

"Okay, okay. Don't expect anything big. I was eight, my younger sister, Samantha is her name, was six, and our youngest sister, Lily, was two. I always was the rationalist, even as a kid, you know the she's-going-to-be-all-right-anyway type. So my parents always trusted me when they were going to cinema or something. Because I could handle my sisters pretty good. Sam, was the little princess, everyone loved her, and I loved her too, she always was so delicate and so childe-like. Just like the six-years old supposed to be. A complete opposite to me. I looked like eight years old should look, but mentally I was forty. And Lily, like all little babies wanted attention. Attention that before her birth belonged to Sam. Sam loved fairy tales, but lately, her concern got totally over one book, guess the title."

"Labyrinth", Sarah whispered.

"Exactly. Then one night I was a little tired and needed to do my homework, parents were gone and I asked Sam to watch over Lily for a while. When I was getting trough my math's exercises I heard a cry from Lily's room. So I called Sam to calm her down. It took her a while. Then I heard a loud scream. It was Samantha. Run as fast as I could to that room. And when I got there I saw him. He looked like a nice person. But Sam was crying and something told me this is his fault. I jumped to my sister and asked what happened. And he answered:

"Ah, nothing special, your sister just have freed you from a bother"

"A bother?" I asked. "Wait, where is Lily? Where is our sister? Sam!"

"Gob.. took her" she sobbed.

"What?" I couldn't understand. Who was this weird man, why do I heard someone chuckling behind my backs, and where was Lily?

"Ah, poor thing" the man said again "you're so confused. I brought you a gift" And a crystal ball appeared in his hand out of nowhere. It was so shining and tempting like a Christmas present founded in parents closet. Sam almost touched it. But I stopped her.

"Where is our sister?!" I demanded from the man.

"You're so stubborn, aren't you little girl? Fine then, she's in my castle, if you want her back, you need to get there first."

"And where is you're castle?"

"Haven't you read the story, little girl?"

"Which story?"

The guy looked like he was going to have a headache.

"The story about the Labyrinth and castle beyond the Goblin City?"

"Oh, this one! Maybe once or twice" I didn't know why but he smiled happily.

"Really? Then you know the rules. Thirteen hours to solve the labyrinth and get your sister back."

"Deal"

And then I was in front of the Labyrinth. I blinked, because I haven't noticed when I got there. And of course I've met your dwarf friend, he showed me the entrance. And I've met that worm too. And I memorized his words completely. First don't take things for granted. Second, things in Labyrinth are not always what they seem to be. So when you actually went right at that moment I went left. It was a short cut, you knew that?"

"A short cut!", Sarah cried. "Uh! Stupid worm!"

"I do agree with you. So my journey wasn't so epic like yours were. I got just few false alarms, the dwarf of course, tried to led me back, but I thanked him for that and went my way, oh and the peach. Jareth came to me personally to gave me it. I refused. He wasn't very pleased about it. But I had complemented on his Labyrinth to be really difficult, and that I'm lucky to live so far. Then I really was lucky to survive the next surprise he prepared for me. Jerk. I lost a lot time to got back on the path. Anyway I got to the castle in twelve and half hours. Tired, with dirt on my entire clothes, and messed hairs I stood in front of him…"

"Wait!" Sarah interrupted her "You stood in front of him? What about those weird stairs?"

"Which stairs?"

"Those up-side-down stairs. And chasing the baby."

"Oh, I suppose he actually ranked me as a completely harmless, because you see I didn't know the Words to defeat him, so he just underestimated me. Anyway, when I got there I said:

"Goblin King, give back my sister".

"Why should I?" So I looked at him a little confused.

"Well.. I have defeat your Labyrinth, just as you said, although you have cheated, but I don't mind, adults always do things I don't understand. So, I got here to your castle, and I think you should give back my sister, pleas." After I stopped talking he smirked, bouncing Lily on his laps.

"And what about the Words?"

"What words?"

"The Right Words" he rolled his eyes. And what's funny, I could heard the big letters…

"Um, like abracadabra?"

"Something like that. Oh, and keep that in mind you still have twenty minutes."

I panicked. I've heard _Labyrinth_ story only once, and it was a year ago. I was eight! Even if I were a little bit of a nerd. Geez.

"So, Abracadabra?"

"Unluckily, no"

"Simsala grim?"

"Excuse me?"

"Hocus-pocus"

"Try again"

"Pika-boo?"

"You're kidding me, right?"

"Begone evil spirit?"

This time he laughed. And I finally broke.

"I had enough of it!" I screamed. "Give back my sister! I have faced the dangers untold and hardships unnumbered. I have fought my way here to this stinking castle beyond even more stinking Goblin City, to take back my sister that you have stolen!" words appeared out of blue I just couldn't stop them. "For my will as strong as yours, and my kingdom as great. You definitely have no power over me. And God I swear you're the biggest idiot among adults!"

His face turned furious.

"Oh, really?", he hissed. A crystal appeared in his hand. A took a step back. Then he smashed the crystal on the floor and everything turned blank. I blinked and then…. I was sitting in my room with my Math's book in front of me. Samantha was sleeping in my bed. I ran to Lily's room and found her asleep to. It was such a relief that I start crying. And that's the end."

"Wow, and you said it wasn't as interesting story as mine?"

Annie shrugged. "Not a big deal from my point of view."

"But… why goblins were rebelling in your room? Has Jareth put them there? You know, as a punishment for calling him an idiot?"

"Actually, they start coming when you moved in. But they star would causing problems only when you're not around."

"Uh, huh. You think it's my fault?"

"No, I think they follow you because of some reason, but they're to scared of you to cause problems for you. I'm different. And somehow I think they like when I'm chasing them with my grandfather's shot-gun…."

"You have a shot-gun…..?"

"Don't ask."

"Ok…"

And after that talk, two roommates became a really good friends. Maybe not _best_ friends, but good enough. And after a year of that acquaintance they knew how much they can trust each other. And even they didn't knew that, it will be in hand soon.

* * *

**AB:** Disclaimer was in previous chapter, but anyway Sarah belongs to Jareth _and_ Jim Henson. Annie is mine. Goblins are also Jareth's properities. Luckily.

Oh, and one more thing: I'M SOOOOOOORYYYYY!!! I know it should be a week but you know a lot of things happens. Usual stuff. And layzieness, yes. Anyway sorry. I'm not going to be sorry for the interpunction and grammar mistakes. You have been worned. So do not complain, just deal with it. I'm trying to be better. Next chapter is going to appear when I will type it into computer. No promises because I suck at this point. And last thing Reviews pleas. I loooove reviews. Thank you.


	4. Chapter 3: Autumn: From Giblin City

**Chapter 3:**** Autumn - **

**From Goblin City to the Mortals World**

Jareth woke up in his bed with terrible hangover. He felt like his head and body were smashed by some giant from the inside, and then imprecisely put together again. He tried to get up, but quickly realize this was a mistake, as a sudden pain raced through his body.

"If I were you, I wouldn't do that again", an ironic voice came to him from the direction of the mirror.

"You're still here?" Jareth was too tired and in terrible shape for arguing with his conscience.

"As a matter of fact, I always have been here. It was just you, who couldn't see or hear me."

"Well, why has it changed?"

"I think it's because of some unexpected circumstances…" the other Jareth said slowly.

"What kind of circumstances?" the original Jareth said, narrowing his eyes. Somehow he had a feeling that, he already knew what the answer will be.

"Well," conscience looked a little bit nervous, "maybe the aura of the Palace Beyond and the… caseofSarahWilliams?" the last part was said so fast that Jareth needed a while to realize what the other Jareth said.

Jareth's reaction could be only a furious scream filled with invectives towards world, Sarah Williams, humans, Audrey, Empire, Sarah Williams, goblins, whoever dared to, at that moment, pass by, and Sarah Williams. But not today, today his head hurt too much. So he just mumbled about how everything is not fair with him, and how everyone seems do use his generosity.

"_Yet another misfortune is placed upon me by that mortal,_ he thought, _If it wasn't her, I wouldn't be in pain, I wouldn't offend the Empress, and discover my, so irritating conscience. Why fate became so cruel to me?"_

" You can call me Jeremy…" the conscience decide to interrupt this never ending stream of complaints.

Jareth looked at him with surprise.

"Pardon me?"

"I said, my name is Jeremy."

"Fascinating" Jareth respond with sarcasm. "Something more, you wish to tell me?"

"Well…" _Jeremy_ started, but a sudden knock interrupted him.

The door opened, and Marigold, the High-general of Hunters came in.

"Mornin', how do you feel?" she asked politely.

"_How do you feel __**Your Majesty**_" Jareth corrected her with a hiss.

"Well I feel quite fine thank you" she said bluntly, "But I'd prefer to know, how do **you** feel like."

_Vampires_, Jareth thought angrily, _that's why I hate them. Always so "high and mighty" since Audrey became Empress. _

He sighed, and send her a tired glare.

" How do you think?"

Marigold smiled lightly. "Oh, you're going to get used to it. It's normal for a magical being to feel like that. You've lost a part of you, a little piece of your magic. But the less magic you will possess the less tired you will be, when it's going to be taken away from you little by little."

"For what reason exactly you are doing this? How does it connects with my punishment?"

Vampire made a straight face "She didn't told you anything, did she?" she sighed, "Jareth we're taking the magic away from you because we cannot throw a magical being into the Abyss. You see there is a slight chance that you won't like us to remove that _accident_ from the chain of events. I mean like completely remove it. It won't happen and everything will by arrange specially for you, to not repeat the mistake, you've made. You can reorder time, but you cannot change what have happen, we can. Those twelve month on Earth will help you to think over stuff. As you may think, we don't want to… well, kill you. It's not our politic."

The tone she said it, made Jareth wonder, if that last sentence was as honest as a goblin who have just broken something.

"Aw, come on." She probably had misinterpreted his silence. "Don't sulk. There is absolutely nothing for you to act like that. You deserve everything that is going to happen to you, Your Highness. Get up. We have work to do. You must show me, how to rule your kingdom. And we have only 25 days left."

"25? I thought I have one month for this."

"Of course, you _had _one month for this. But you were asleep for 5 days."

"She's right" suddenly Jeremy spoke.

"Shut up." Jareth said automatically.

"You shouldn't be mean to your conscience, he's just trying to help." Marigold scold him.

"… You… can hear him?" The Goblin King was surprised.

"Of course. I can even see him in that mirror over there. Some people in Aboveground will see him too, but only those with really sharp senses and great imagination. So be careful with mirrors. Ok, let's stop chit-chatting. Jareth, get up, get dressed, and definitely get to work. I'd prefer to do things fast, so I can finally get back my sword from Audrey." She turned on her heels and got out of the room… for a second. Then she opened the doors slightly and said: "And if you could show me the way to the library, 'cause I think I'm lost."

Jareth looked and the ceiling and sigh. _Why me?_, he thought, but he knew, it was only a rhetorical question.

The rest of the month passed rather quickly. Marigold almost instantly got the idea of how she should deal with goblins. Screaming, threatening, and ordering around was her everyday routine as a High General in army. But the problem were the other Kings and Queens. Marigold just couldn't stand smiling and being nice to anyone, whom she didn't like. And unfortunately most of the Royals of Fae World had catch into that category. Jareth started slowly realized why she's never taken a part in **any** of the meeting. She, probably, would just jump on the table and stab/shoot the jerk, who had disobey her. Quite opposite of calm and cunning Audrey. Typical army person.

On the day of his departure, the vampire brought to him the very same glass from before.

"Is it always going to be like this?" he asked while taking the glass.

"No. Just one more time. We like dividing things in threes"

He shrug and took a sip. The darkness came immediately with only slight doze of pain.

The second awakening was less painful. And the headache was less annoying. Only the thirst was the same

"It seems like I'm slowly getting used to it." He muttered.

He opened his eyes to look around. Of course he wasn't in his castle anymore. This room was spacious, and dark, thanks to heavy, dark brown hangings. The furniture was kind of impressing. Made of oak and with beautiful floral ornaments, and everything were in autumn colors. Jareth felt almost at home. He noticed, that the big human size mirror was covered with a cloth. The Goblin King wondered who did that. He walked slowly to the window and pull the hangings apart. The sudden hit of sunlight shut his eyes and made him flinch. After a while, he opened his eyes and shook his head. He blinked a few times.

"Ouch."

"That gotta hurt." Jeremy voice echoed around him.

"Damn right…"

"At least, the decoration is nice."

"Yes, but how's that suppose to lift my spirit?"

"At least I tried."

Jareth took a breath, and looked around one more time. There was a glass and a bottle of water standing on a bedside table.

"Thanks God" the Goblin Kink whispered a finally quenched his thirst.

Jeremy waited until his host finished drinking.

"So what we're going to do now? Any particular plans, Your Majesty?"

"Let's take a walk."

Aboveground was something that became Jareth hobby. Thanks to Audrey, he found some modern clothes in his wardrobe, but because Jareth is Jareth, he couldn't help himself and _modified _them a little bit, especially the trousers.

"_Was that really necessary_?" Jeremy asked him as another group of young women passed The Goblin King with giggles.

"_My dear conscience, I love myself. I love being adored. I am a king after all_."

"_Yes, but we're in public place!_"

"_Stop nagging and enjoy this wonderfully warm, autumn day."_

Jeremy mumbled something inarticulately and decided to remain silent as an expression of his indignation.

Suddenly Jareth froze. _It can't be!, _he thought_,, this cannot be truth! This.. this must be a joke. A really bad one!_

"_What is it?_", Jeremy got interested,_ "Oh dear"._

There she was, all smiling and happy. The reason of his misery. Jareth boiled with anger. So that's why they send him here. To test him. He wanted to spend those twelve months in peace. But why, WHY on the Underground SHE is HERE!! Sarah Williams… The Goblin King felt cheated. He watched her as she walked on the other side of the street laughing with some other mortal woman, so unaware of him. So close, and so far away.

He turned angrily on his heels and walked back in fury. He slammed the doors of his new home, and smashed a vase in his fist. Then watched as water was slowly dripping on the floor. He opened his fist. There were shared of the china stuck in his hand. For the first time in his life he felt a physical pain. He leaned heavily on the table.

"What have you do to me Sarah Williams?" he sighed "Whatever it was, I shall do this to you…"

Jeremy watched the proud Goblin King from the mirror. It made him sad. How, on Empire, can he change him? What to do with Jareth? Jeremy wanted to live. If his host will remain like this, proud, cold, narcissistic, and angry at everything else except of himself… But there was a hope. A slight chance. Not big, but still, existing. Yes, it could work, but he cannot work alone, he needed help from the outside. Luckily he just knew the right person.

**

* * *

Author's Blabbling: OMG!!!** It took me ages to rewrite it! I soooooooo sorry! Tomorrow I'm starting rewritting the chapter 4. (three pages in one day... I mean since morning till night... omg, I sooo lazy)

Also I noticed that I may overuse "the". What do you think?

Disclaimer: Jareth and Sarah belong to Jim Henson. Marigold to me. End of case. Thank you very much.


	5. Chapter 4: The sound of silence

**Chapter 4**

**Winter:**

**The sounds of silence, or**** Return of the Goblin King, or The Low Owl, or Stalking is fun as long as they don't have guns, big ones…**

Annie stretched and rubbed her eyes. The clock had rang too damn, too early. She stepped out of her room and checked on Sarah. Her flatmate was still asleep. Good. Today she really needed some time for herself.

A little bit later, she was washing the dishes and thinking on a today's theme. After a refreshing shower life became more colourful, especially when she remembered that new French philology's teacher, whom she met the day before. And finally she decided on a language. She started singing silently, an old song, on a jolly tune.

"_Jedna baba drugiej babie wsadziła do oka grabie, a chachary żyją. Żyją! Wódkę, sobie piją. Piją! Z góry spoglądają. Wszystko w… nosie, mają.."__1_

Sarah has chosen exactly this moment to enter the kitchen. "Wow, somebody is really happy today, what's the occasion?" Sarah sat down and took an apple from the fruit basket on the table.

"New guy in the teaching staff." she chuckled.

"So what's today's language?" younger woman asked with full mouth of apple.

"Polish".

Sarah swallowed. "You're not using this one much. Does it mean that, you're from Poland?"

"Hm, that is really good question" Annie sent her friend a wide smile. "You can tell me, what do you think of this matter later, because, I suppose, you are already late for professor Baker's lecture."

Sarah gasped as she confirmed Annie's words with the clock. "Oh, shiiiit! I'm late!"

She caught few more fruits and raced out of the apartment shouting. "See ya later Ann!!"

Woman giggled and finished washing the dishes. She need to follow Sarah soon, or she's going to be late too.

The flat became so quiet, that she could literally hear the flies in the other room. And that made her froze. It was too quiet. To tell the truth, it was like that since last month. No goblins, no stolen underwear or socks. No mess in her drawer. It wasn't like she wasn't actually happy about it, but… She just had _**this**_ kind of feeling, that something is going to happen, and she wasn't sure, if it's going to be good or bad. She sighed. "We'll see." She murmured to herself.

Jareth felt that something was wrong. Jeremy was quiet recently. Too quiet. Not that he minded, though. But he had this feeling, that his conscience was plotting something that he probably won't like.

He sighed and looked outside of the window. This world was mortal. Even the seasons here were like that. The autumn has died and the winter was slowly approaching. The very first snowflakes were falling from the skies, and everything became much darker. The Goblin King shivered. He didn't like winter. Disgusting cold and wet snow. He used to completely different surrounding. His kingdom was the essence of the autumn. Dry, colorful and warm but not hot like the summer and not infected with the wetness of winter. Jareth felt depressed. Especially since SHE was walking straight beneath his window! He growled when he spotted Sarah running down the street in the direction of her college. For that month he's been following her, so he could adjust his plans. The Great Plan of Revenge on Sarah Williams. The only problem was the fact that he still didn't knew what, exactly he should do.

"What are you looking at?" suddenly Jeremy spoke.

"Nothing", Jareth muttered in respond and turned his head away from the window.

"Well, that nothing of yours, looked like quite fine lady, don't you think?"

"No, I don't"

"I wonder, if she has a boyfriend, maybe a fiancé." The conscience said loudly to himself.

"Why should that interest me at all?" Jareth said in bored tone. "All I care is the fact, that this certain girl had humiliated me, more than anyone else!" He jumped from wide windowsill and started walking around, irritated. "I just need to know, how…" he stopped, deep in his thoughts.

"How, what?" Jeremy tried not to sound too nervous.

"Maybe I'm doing this the wrong way. I'm too concern about her. Maybe…" Jareth turned on his heels "Maybe I should start with her friends. Yes!" He snapped his fingers with enthusiasm "First I shall reach her trough her friends! Then corner her defenceless, and claim my victory!"

"And how, do you suppose to do so?" the man in the mirror suddenly felt really tired.

"Simple" Jareth started walking around again. "I will…" now the Goblin King remembered something and all his eagerness has left him. "I won't…"

"What?"

"I forgot, that, at this moment I have no rights to my Kingdom! Damn the Empress, she banned me from summoning goblins…. But!" a new idea struck him, and Jeremy could almost see the imaginary light-bulb above the king's head. "I still have my crystals and ability to transform into the owl. Yes, this is giving me a lot of opportunities. I'll just have to use it the right way… Right!" he shouted and run out of the room straight to the entrance door. He pulled them and stopped in surprise.

In front of him there was a familiar, thirteen years old girl. "Yes?" He tried to remember where he had seen her before, when she smiled, exposing two rows of shark's teeth. Jareth cursed mentally. The Chronicler.

"It's a pay day." She said happily.

"This can't wait, can it?" he tried weakly.

"No, it can't" her expression went blank again and not waiting for a welcome, she came inside.

Jareth closed the doors. Demon was standing near the mirror, Jareth noticed that she doesn't have a reflection.

"You look a little bit different." He said after a while. She send him an emotionless glance.

"We can change our forms, as we wish. Our real form would not be accepted by humans, so we hide it." To prove this, during the speech, she changed her appearance three times. Old man, young woman and small boy. The fourth form wasn't so pleasant.

Jareth watched as the little kid before him, slowly transformed into something else. The limbs got longer. The joints got sharper, her knees had turned the other way. Now "she", if the thing before him could classified like that, was leaning on her fingers in gorilla style. Big, leather, covered in half with dragon-like shells, wings, her skin was in color of metallic, dark green mud, almost black. Her lipless mouth, were presenting a deadly, even bigger than before, teeth. Her eyes were covered with a piece of cloth. Two horns were growing from her forehead. It was only a second, but Jareth clearly understood what did she meant by showing this to him.

He sat quietly on a sofa in his living-room. The Chronicler walked to him slowly. She had reached her hand and pulled out of nowhere the familiar glass and gave him.

"Cheers" he said nervously and quietly, so unlike the Great Goblin King.

Sarah couldn't believe her luck. Or bad luck. Professor Baker didn't let her to participate in his lecture. "Being on time is a way to show someone your respect for that person, young lady." he said. She had never been late for his lectures!

"It's not fair", she muttered as the doors got closed.

So she waited for her another lecture in the cafeteria.

"What's with that sad face, Sarah?"

Sarah turned and saw Annie holding a cup of coffee.

"I've got late for Baker's lecture…"

"Yup. That's what I thought. And that's the reason for being sad? You know Baker, he never allows students to participate in his lectures if they are late." Annie sat next to Sarah

"I know, but still…"

"It's not fair." woman fished, taking a sip from her cup.

"You know", Sarah started slowly, "after the Labyrinth I realized a lot of things about the life…"

"But understanding doesn't mean you're automatically agreeing with them, right?"

"Yes."

"Don't worry. Your choice was right. You saved your brother."

"But some part of me… You see I still have a contact with Hoggle, Ludo and sir Dydimus, but I feel an empty space in my heart."

"That's your lost childhood dreams. All adults have it. But we don't pay attention to it, because we lose them slowly, without noticing. You have lost yours in thirteen hours."

"Ten, to be precise."

"Yes, you're right. Well, worry not, my dear. But if you insist on worrying, then I'm available around, hmm, let's see, in two hours?" Annie got up.

"Thanks Annie, you're great."

"I know. And remember, I take one hundred fifty dollars per hour!" Annie add while walking away.

"Flay-flint!" Sarah shouted after her with laughter.

Annie send her a wink and a kiss, and left the cafeteria.

Later

Sarah raced out of the building trying to flee from her flatmate.

"You cannot escape me, Sarah!" Annie cried and chased after her.

"Annie, I've told you, I don't have any problems! It was only a moment of weakness, nothing more! And stop reaping of the movies!"

"Sarah Williams! I know where you live!"

"Because, we live there together, you psycho!"

"Wait!" Annie finally caught up with Sarah.

" I'm late for my work, and I really don't have time for this!" the younger woman started walking even faster.

"Yes, you do. We can talk, as we walk." Her friend said in a singing voice.

"When you're doing this, it's getting kinda scary."

"Doing what?"

"Rhymes."

"Oh, this. It's an old habit of mine." Annie waved her hand.

"You got a **lot** of them."

"Everyone does. But this is not the topic of our conversation. Sarah, we need to talk about, your problems."

"I've told you already. I. Don't. Have. Problems!" Sarah emphasized each word.

"Of course you do. Remember? The Labyrinth, the certain Goblin King, the goblins themselves, your supernatural friends. You do have problems Sarah. You're lost in them."

Sarah shook her head and said slowly, trying to remain calm.

"Annie, I don't want to talk about anything connected, to the Labyrinth, goblins, my friends or Jareth, right now. I am very late, thanks to you, and I am not in the mood for this kind of discussion at this moment. Can we do it some other time?"

Annie pretended to think deeply.

"Okeeey", she said really, really slowly, and when Sarah sighted with relief she ended her sentence with extra speed, "I've tried to wait but I think, my personality doesn't allow me to do so."

"Annie!" Sarah screamed with annoyance.

"Sarah!" Annie mimicked her.

Both women stared at each other, one with anger other, with this annoying kind of joy, when you know, you won. And the silence had fallen upon them. Suddenly the owl had ululated. Girls looked at it with surprise.

"It's an owl" Annie pointed it.

"Really? I thought it was a bunny." Sarah snorted.

"Hmm, there must be a nest somewhere close…" it was just like Annie hadn't heard it, and wondered to herself out loud. Then her cellphone rang. Sarah used this moment to flee. When she disappeared Annie finished talking, and stared blankly at the bird.

"Very normal", she whispered to herself, as the owl flew away.

When Sarah was finished with her work for today, she stood in front of her flat doors and tried to convinced herself, that nothing gonna happen if she do it. She have taken few deep breaths and entered it. As she spotted Annie on the sofa in front of the TV, she started spitting out words like a machine gun, while running like a sprinter in the direction of her room.

"Annie,Iknowyouwantedtotalkwithme,butrightnowIhaveadate,sopleaswaitwiththis,ok?"

"Sure", her _dangerous _flatmate turned the page in the newspaper she was reading, with absolute calm no interest in her voice, whatsoever.

Sarah braked with a long slide, and looked from behind the doors frame with shock.

"Really?"

"Yeah, have fun. Don't came before 5 a.m."

"Really?"

"Aha" another sound of turned page.

Sarah's eyes got wide. "_It worked? It really, really worked? She doesn't want to speak with me right now?! YES!"_ she closed the doors to her room and performed the dance of victory. Then, as she remembered of her date standing in front of the apartment building, she started her preparations at top speed.

When Annie heard the front doors closing behind Sarah, she took the shot gun and aimed at the owl outside of the window.

"Don't you dare, Your Majesty." She hissed.

The owl froze with spread wings.

"Come in here, now"

The owl flew in, and took the shape of Goblin King.

"Hello, Aianell."

* * *

1 Polish song. Translation: „One old Hag, put the other Hag rake in the eye. But the peasants lives. Lives! And the vodka drinks. Drinks! Looking down on us. Having everything in their… nose." It's called "A hahary" or "A chachary" (the Grammatik here depends on a person)

Author Blabbering: Here's the fourth chapter. I'm sooo slow in rewriting this... But hey! Mysterious ending! Who Annie really is? Answer in the next chapter! I think so... x]

Disclaimer: Jareth and Sarah, belong to Jim Henson. Annie is my own creation. Thank you.


	6. Intermission

Author's Blabbering: Ok, folks, no chapter today, sorry. But because of the Christmas holiday that have passed (and my birthdays meanwhile), I've decided to post this thing. Oh, and right now I have a problem with coming up wit a good reason for Jareth and Sarah to be together, and not being clichè, at the same time. If you have some good idea, I am open for yours concepts as well. Hope you enjoy this, Bye.

Edited

* * *

**Glossary:**

_**Empire –**_ The Third Power in the Multiversum, it protects the balance between Heaven and Hell, and prevents the win of one of them.

_**The Channels –**_ Third power in Empire, next to Chroniclers and Hunters. They have power to change, permanently or temporarily reality around them with the sole power of their mind, they use various items for that purpose, like pens and empty books, paint, pencils, and special powder called "stardust". They posses ability, to fool theirs enemies, that imitates hypnosis. Only human can be a Channel.

_**The Chroniclers – **_demons of Harmony, created from human soul(s)(1) and demonic substance. Their emotionless state is caused by feeling many different emotions at the same time. They are not indifferent, because, at some point it is an emotion (for them) too. Their eyes are the mirrors of their souls, that's why they have a piece of cloth on them, because souls of all living beings seek stability and harmony, if by mistake, someone would look into Chronicler eyes, he would lose his or her soul immediately. Chroniclers are shape-shifters.

_**Hu**__**nters-**_ elite Army on Empire, consist of all kind of immortals, starting with elves and dwarfs, via vampires and werewolves, ending with dragons (although there are many different species of dragons, intelligent on one hand and mere animals on another). Sometimes human are joining in. Hunters currently are recruiting robots.

**Dramatis Personae**

(only those, who needs presentation)

_Annie _– Aianell, mysterious woman, Sarah's roommate, older than she looks. Professor of psychology and a shrink. Open and cheerful, communicative and like to tease everyone around, especially Sarah and the new French lector.

_Marigold_ – the first of twenty High Generals of Empire, a vampire, her Mother-In-Darkness is Audrey. Marigold human name is Ann Marie. Responsible, decisive, strong-willed woman gets angry pretty easily. Her cold act is booked only for strangers and greenhorns. She looks as if she was in her early 20's.

_Margot –_ the Channel, the last one of her species. Egoistic, sarcastic and cold for everyone, bored with life. She doesn't believe in good side of living beings nature, and in the opinion, that everyone can change.

_Audrey__ – _Ruler of the Harmony Empire, vampire, looks around 18. Perfect actress, and smart politics, in public she acts as a complete child. Her only motive is to protect her Empire. Cunning, responsible, cold and cruel.

_Eve__ (read this the way you read "Eve" in Christmas Eve) –_ The Chronicler, not much about her personality, because, obviously those creatures doesn't have one. Only, she's a bit weirder than the rest of them, because she shows some kind of a interest in humans actions and characters, which doesn't appear in the rest of Chroniclers.

_Kriegstone – _Major-domo, loyal, trustworthy and dignified, marid, demon of fire, with horns, and goat-like feets. He always wears smart suit, and a monocle, he acts a bit pedantic. Kriegstone is always caring with him a notebook and have a pencil behind his ear.

_Lucif__er – _a devil, that doesn't need any introduction, Father of Sin, the Prince of Darkness and Mister Infernal(2) 666 B.C and 666 A.D. He wants to marry Audrey so he can control the Harmony (poor fool). Playboy, mischievous, and of course bad to the bone.

_Jeremy__-_ Jareth's conscience. He is obviously good-willed, and posses a lot of free will, because of the fact he was "born" in Empire not in Heaven.

_Characters outside of _Labyrinth_ universe:_

_Emiel Regis __Rohellec Terzieff-Godefroy - _ vampire from Sapkowski's _Witcher _series. In _L:FP (_and mostly in my Universe) he is Marigold second husband. Medic and corporal in Mariglod's troop. Guest starring

_Starscream (Armada universe) – _Also guest starring.

* * *

1 One human can posses, many alter egos in different worlds. There's a lot of determinants, which one should have in order to become a Chronicler, one of them is the death of all alter egos of one human at exactly the same time (measured in Empire cannon).

2 Hells equivalent of humans Mister Universe.

* * *

AB: I'm doing a poll, in what kind of style you would like J/S to ..... eeem... become a couple(?). I think that much would gave me some sense of direction. Thank you.


	7. Chapter 5: Mischief is not booked

**Chapter 5:**

**Mischief is not booked for Goblin Kings only**

Goblins were troubled. The new Scary Queen was scary, but with their experience with Jareth, they had quickly come up with few simple rules to avoid being kicked into the Bog, or being hanged on the battlements or on the top of one of the towers, or (what's ten time worse, then the Bog) going to sleep without dinner. Rule number one said: Do not trouble the Queen, when she's thinkin'. Just like now.

Marigold was sitting in front of a window in Jareth's former study. She kept a piece of paper in her hand but wasn't looking at it. It took her a bit of time to understand what she had just read. And as she finally understood it, her face took the expression of amazement and deep shock. "So, that's how it is…", she whispered slowly.

The Great Hall of Mirrors was well known to be permanent residence of the Chroniclers. Not that anyone would object that. The vast hall was abandoned soon after it came to existence. It took its name, after big mysterious mirrors, which stands by the wall. Some of those mirror's surfaces were black and dusty, dead for a long time, some were covered in milky mist, and if you came near them, they would show you what was happening in other worlds.

No one was coming to the Great Hall of Mirrors until they were forced, maybe because of the presence of the Chroniclers, roaming in the shadows, or maybe because of the whispers echoing through the hall, or maybe because of the sole atmosphere of that place. Well, nobody except…

"Say again, what is it?" the Channel face looked a bit confused.

"Are you blind or just playing a fool?" Audrey sends her an irritated look and stepped closer to her. "I said it was Jareth, experiencing a great punishment in order to redeem himself…" she had suddenly stopped.

"I think he's enjoying himself in that restaurant, ya know? Especially, since that waitress…"

"Shut. Up."

"Oh, look, isn't that Sarah Williams?"

Margot could obviously carry on those little "notices" but the look on Empress's face told her, that this is not the best time for that.

"Who, the hell dared to get in _my_ way of punishing _my _subjects?" she hissed trough her teeth, her fingers pressed tightly on the glass, started to make dangerous cracking noises.

"Well, breaking the mirror won't bring you any answers." Margot had pointed quietly. "Besides, I think the word Hell is some kind of direction, ya know?"

The vampire had processed that information before yelling.

"LUCIFER!!"

In Hell:

"Beelzebub, my ear is burning" the Prince of Darkness said to his subordinate, as he was trying on clothes, and tried to decide which one was the best for some minor, occasional destruction of a world.

"Well, I've heard Your Majesty, that, this means somebody is talking or thinking about you."

Beelzebub answered, and gave him another piece of clothing.

"Hm, I hope it's Audrey realizing how handsome I am, and how she cannot resist me anymore… I think, I would wear, that read tie and black suit, along with the black shirt…"(1)

Anyway, back to the Palace Beyond.

Margot closed quietly the doors behind her. She shouldn't be there. Well, heck, she shouldn't be doing, what she was doing since the very beginning of this story. But resisting such a chance, wasn't a part of her nature.

"I know you are here" she whispered into the darkness. "How is it going?"

Suddenly she felt the presence of her companion.

"We have a tie. Nothing is progressing." The voice sounded like a flying pair of leather wings, like a Chronicler, emotionless, stating a fact.

"Ha! It proves that I am right and you are wrong, doesn't it?"

"No."

"What do you mean, by _no_?" the Channel puffed with annoyance.

"What about the Empress" the creature skipped that matter

"She is currently blaming Lucifer, so don't worry, she won't find out." Margot crossed her hands a rested against a wall, then she started looking for something in her bag.

"A Conscience came to me recently." That statement made the Channel drop the book she pulled out of her bag

"… You know it sounds kinda weird, with you saying that?" Margot almost chuckled.

"I am a Chronicler I do not posses something like a conscience, so why does it sound weird?"

"… Maybe you're right. What about that Conscience?"

"He's name is Jeremy".

"Yes, so?"

"He's Jareth's Conscience."

"I still don't get it."

"Why you humans, are so slow?" suddenly Eve sounded tired. "He came to me because, he is worried about his host. And he have a plan to made Jareth a better person."

"Oh, please. Not that! I can already see where it's going…" Margot slapped her hand over her forehead, when she realized what Eve is talking about. "Ok, I don't care, about Jerry, or whatever his name is. I'm going back to my work."

"Wait. Empress will send you to Jareth soon."

"What? How do you know? What for?"

"To look after him." The Chronicler presence and voice started to fade. "See you on Earth."

Somehow Margot got a feeling that Eve was amused, but it was impossible, wasn't it?

* * *

A.B: (1) Have I mentioned that His Great Evilness is blonde? No? Well, now I am doing so. Yes, he's blonde. That typical blonde from many, many jokes. No offence for smart, blonde people (I'm blonde myself)

And oohhh, now we know, because of who Jareth is stuck in our world. But we don't know the motive ;P. Anyway it's short, sorry, I would have updated it sooner but I have a bit of troubles with FF server. And something is telling me you won't be happy about this chapter, (don't know why, but is just a hunch)

See you next time, bye bye.

(As if you read this anyway...)


	8. Chapter 6: Winter: troubles

**Chapter 6:**

**Winter****: Of family ties, uninvited guests and hypothetical troubles.**

The splashing of water and clattering of the plates filled the kitchen. Annie sighted helplessly. "_That idiot, if she'd only let me explain… I suppose it's not good huh?_" she looked at her flatmate's room doors and sighted heavily again. "_Geez it's not like I wanted to trick her or somethin'. Not my fault she had come back for those keys in a bad moment…_" woman remembered that time. Jareth standing in the middle of the room, Sarah entering from the front door and her saying: "What do you want cousin?" Annie should have known better that Sarah may brood over the fact Annie or actually Aianell is Fae indeed. Well, the real reason is probably Annie "accidentally" has forgotten about telling her friend of the real origin of hers (and coming up with that fake family…). Annie wiped her hands and took a look at the clock; she got to go to work.

"Sarah! I'm out!" but she got no response. "_Sheesh, that brat…"_

Sarah waited for the doors to slam. Well of course she was angry with Annie. Who wouldn't? But Sarah was more hurt of her friend not telling her the truth, than angry. She needed time to put up with this news, and what's more the sudden return of Jareth. It just made her head hurt.

Jareth was really surprised. That Aianell was here. Heck, everyone thought she ended up in a ditch covered with petrol on fire. The girl wasn't your typical princess. Never. But it wasn't like some kind of rebellious acts. It was like just one day she announced: "I'm going to be a soldier!" And everyone thought, she's going to start a war with someone, but no. She joined Hunters, the Army of Empire. The whole Underground was completely dumbfounded for few centuries. She was the very first Fae of Underground to join Hunters.

He could never understand her, no one did. Aianell was completely fascinated with things normal and healthy Fae wouldn't. Like psychiatry, quantum physics and so on. Well all Fae's were interested in humans, because they were such amusing creatures and sometimes clever (Jareth himself borrowed few inventions from them), but his cousin went even further, she lived among them! And totally forgot about her heritage. Luckily she hadn't married any, that would be a disaster. The Goblin King yawned, stretched on his sofa and took a sip of wine. The world is too damn small. He could somehow handle Sarah, but Sarah AND Aianell in the same place were an omen of troubles, as if he needed more of them. Right now he tried to ignore that annoying gargoyle, which refused to leave, and glared at him from the shady corner. Really, uninvited guests are disturbing.

It took Sarah whole week to stop feeling uneasy near Annie, well mostly because, they were avoiding each other. Concentrating on her studies helped a lot too. Sometimes you just need this everyday routine to get on tracks with your life. It was late afternoon on Sunday, when she decided she can talk freely with her flatmate about the visit of the Goblin King. Somehow, Annie's sense of serious talk included lots of tea and biscuits.

"So, what do you want to know?" The older woman took a sip of her tea, the manner she did that reminded Sarah of her grandmother.

"Well, why did you lie to me back then, when I saw you with those goblins?"

"… How would you react if I said: 'Sarah, I'm actually distant relative to Jareth, but I'm harmless to humans, I swear!'?"

"I would laugh and hit you with something, then move out as fast as I could." Sarah answered immediately

"See? And you expected me to tell you the truth?"

Younger woman scratched her arm nervously, Annie got a point there.

"Then, who are you exactly?"

Annie sighted heavily. "I am or what is more accurate I was a Fae princess, Jareth is my cousin, but really distant one. You see, being a princess is not my thing. That's why I left my family."

"Yeah, so you left, and started teaching at university? And they are cool with that? I just don't get it, and nobody had noticed, the fact that you don't age? Because you don't, right?"

"It's more complicated, I can't explain it the way I want, because I'm simply not allowed. You see I'm a professor here for a short period of time. I think I'm going to leave soon. It's not my only job, you see. They let me leave, because they saw a certain profit from this. And no I don't age. Oh, and my real name is Aianell, but I'd like you to continue calling me Annie." She smiled lightly.

"So do you know what Jareth is doing here?"

"Nope. As you recall I was asking him this question, when you interrupted us. But there is something weird about him. Ah, probably it's just my imagination."

"I hope he won't give us any troubles."

"No worries. Sarah, you are my friend, and I value our friendship. I hope you also do. So If you're going to have any kind of troubles with certain king, you can always count on me, 'kay?"

"Sure…" But Sarah wasn't as optimistic as Annie or Aianell, whatever.

Late at night Annie was cursing like a sailor. She shouldn't have been drinking again with her students, her quick metabolism was giving her a hangover two hours after the party, and she couldn't find her keys. She finally gave up, and used magic. The lock clicked quietly. But she did not enter.

"Well, look what cat brought here…" an ironical laugh sounded in the dark hallway. "Why, hello Aianell, long time no see, huh?"

"Aw, damn."

Annie could not believe her bad luck. Morning coffee was gradually getting cold. She heard Sarah leaving the bathroom and coming into the kitchen.

"Hey, Annie, have you seen my… Oh, hi. Who are you?"

The girl in front of Annie smiled widely and energetically waved her hand.

"Hi! I'm Margot, Annie's ex-student nice to meet ya! You must be Sarah, right?"

"Yes, nice to meet you" girls shook their hands.

"You were looking for something" Annie interrupted them coldly.

"Well, I suppose it's nothing, I have to go now, anyway." Sarah looked at her a bit absent-minded.

"Aw, that's bad." Margot made unhappy face. "I wanted to talk to you a bit more. Hey, maybe we could meet later?"

"Sure" she left few minutes later.

When Margot and Annie were again alone, Annie almost barked at her guest.

"What do you want?"

"Geeze. We're in the same team, remember?"

"No, we're not. I'm not killing people." Annie hissed

"Everyone have some kind of a job" Margot fake cheerful attitude has disappeared. "You met Jareth?"

"And if I did, then what?"

"Nothing. I'm only interested if he had told you, about his situation."

"What situation?"

"Oh? So you don't know?" a sly smile appeared on Margot's face.

"Margot, if you're not going to tell me what's going on, you may better leave."

"Well, his going to die in… hmm, what month do we have now? End of the January? Then it's nine months since now."

"Why are you telling me this?"

"Because you can save him."

"What? I don't know where this conversation is going, but you definitely have some personal interest in it, that's why, it'll be better if you leave. Right now!"

"I thought that you would like to help…"

"Listen, whatever it was, that my cousin got himself into, he can get out of that without my help, I can assure you."

"I don't think so. This time, he had seriously offended the Empress, and because of some twisted kind of fate, we got him in the wrong place, he should be in Ireland, not USA. And we can't change it. We can only play along."

Annie watched Margot carefully. She looked rather serious and surprisingly honest.

"How does that help of mine would look like?"

"He needs to deeply regret his act of selfishness. So deeply, that he would want to turn back time and change this whole situation. Do you understand?"

"Yes. But one more question. Why are **you** asking **me **to help?"

"… It was an order, of course."

This sounded like a lie.

* * *

AB: Everything, I have to say is: I need Beta. Please, if you know someone good in grammar/spelling and romance plotlines or you are such a person please send me a note.

EDIT: Thank you guys for quick answers. ^^ Shiroikami I hope this story will develop much better with your help.

One more time: I do not own characters of Jareth and Sarah, I write for fun. Thank you


	9. Chapter 7: Making a move

**Chapter 7:**

**Winter: Making a move**

Audrey was nervously tapping her finger over the arm of her throne while studying some documents. Suddenly she noticed someone in the corner of her eye. "So, how do the goblins feel?"

A slight chuckle escaped from Marigold's lips. "Quite fine. I almost feel like I was with my troops. The same idiots…. What are you reading?"

"Old laws made by the previous Empresses. I'm trying to find something to get Jareth out of this mess. But seriously I don't understand those old laws."Audrey flipped the papers with annoyance. "You know that coughing in my presence is forbidden? No wait, it was. Hm, it seems the Fourth canceled this. Wise woman. I should cancel most of this, I suppose." She scanned the documents, looking for more nonsense.

"… Why didn't you do that earlier?"

"I never had patience to get through all of this."

Marigold commented it with significant silence. "Anyway, I came here because I wanted to ask if…"

"I had noticed that all of this mess is probably the doing of those two?" The Empress finished the sentence before the General.

"Yes. I've noticed it some time, after we sent Jareth to the world of mortals."

" would have known… I knew that they were too dangerous to be in one place at a time, but somehow I'm not surprised. Actually I was expecting something like this. Sooner or later…I'd have preferred if it were later, to tell the truth. Where are they?"

"In place. All we can do is to watch."

"How come we didn't realize it sooner?" Audrey said, seemingly to herself. "Smart brats…"

"Audrey?"

"Yes?"

"Why is the whole Throne Room covered with pieces of vases and tureens?"

"Lucifer came with a visit."

"Ah."

Marigold decided not to ask any further…

Sarah left the university building and headed for the library where she worked part time. It was a simple, calm, and a little bit boring job, but the pay was reasonable and she could make a living out of it (especially with Annie taking care of most of the rent). She even made some new "friends". Sarah smiled lightly. Ms. Thompson was a sweet little old lady, who loved historical romances and could talk about them for hours if she thought you would listen. Dennis was a studious schoolboy, who had read almost every detective story in the library. Also there were Frank, Harry and Alice, a group of friends fascinated with horrors and Stephen King. Sarah liked all of them. They made her workday more colorful. "Hi, Jake!" she greeted her colleague, and nodded back with bright smile. He was mute. Sarah closed her locker and went into the main hall. The work was going rather smoothly when a strange girl approached her.

"Excuse me. Do you have a book with strong emotions in it?" her voice was soft, like a feathers, and plain. Sarah thought if that girl weren't in front of her, she wouldn't have noticed her. She felt confused while just looking at her, like she was suddenly woken up by a professor during a lecture and asked a question.

"Pardon?" Somehow she managed to collect herself. "Well, certainly we have a book like that, but it would be better if you tell me what kind of genre you prefer." The girl gave her a strange look.

"It doesn't matter. I'm fine with whatever you give me."

Sarah chose quite a few books. The girl's head was hardly visible from behind of the pile, but she said it was okay. Even the young woman was carrying at least five of them.

"You want to borrow all of them?"

"No, I'll read most of it here."

After that Sarah was back to her normal duties, from time to time she checked on the strange girl. She could have been thirteen years old, but was kind of small and had delicate body structure. Her skin was pale and thin, like paper. Her face was a bit cat like, triangular-shaped, with a small nose and narrow lips. Her black hair only strengthened the unhealthy impression, the girl was giving, but the most disturbing part about her were her eyes, almost too big for her small face, almond-shaped, and weird green in hue. Also, the aura around her wasn't normal. Like she was only Sarah's imagination. So just to make herself sure that she wasn't seeing things, she asked Jake if he could also see the strange reader. Jake looked at her a bit surprised and confirmed the presence of the girl. But even with his verification, Sarah couldn't shake the weird feeling she had.

Annie was troubled, and her concentration was suffering because of it. Finally she had left in the middle of her lecture, saying she wasn't feeling well, and everyone was free to go home. If she could only understand what Margot exactly wanted from her? She could smell something fishy about the Channel, like there was something she wasn't telling her, a deeper purpose. Annie sighed heavily. Her head started to hurt. She knew that any attempt to figure out what a Channel was planning would fail. Those creatures were far more complicated than ordinary humans. All that was left for her to do was to play her role, and wait for the outcome.

When Sarah came back from work, Annie was watching TV… in her own style. In other words, she was analyzing every word and gesture of people on the screen and making suitable notes of her observations.

"This presenter has a love affair with this chick from forecast", she announced, when she spotted her flatmate.

"How do you know?"

Annie shrugged. Then Sarah noticed that her friend looked kinda sulky.

"Hey, tough day at work?" she asked as she tried to figure out what was happening. Annie had never ever looked like that.

"You can say that. I'll be fine." Suddenly she became happier. "The French teacher is coming to visit!"

"Oh joy…" Sarah rolled her eyes. Poor guy didn't know, who he was dating. Annie would completely psychoanalyze him, and then torment him with the results for next half a year. No wonder, everybody from the teaching staff was avoiding her like the plague. "Then I think it's better for me to leave, huh?"

"You don't have to. Pierre, will come to pick me up at nine. He's so sweet, I wonder if he has some really weird complex…"

Sarah made a long, heavy sigh. Her flatmate would never change.

Jareth flipped a page in the book he was reading. He was trying to figure out how to fulfill his plan of revenge on Sarah Williams since Aianell was here. No doubt she would interfere. He made a short pause when he heard a soft sound of wings beating. The Chronicler returned. As always he quickly ignored her.

"Why don't you try to break her heart?"

The Goblin king almost dropped the book. It was the first full sentence he heard from the demon in a long time.

"What do you mean?'

"It was in a book." Eve said simply, like she was stating a fact. "A girl made some boy suffer, so he came up with a scheme to make her fall in love with him, and then broke her heart."

"And how does the book end?"

"The girl committed suicide. Then the boy realized he loved her and killed himself too."

"What kind of advice is that?"

"Much better than those plans you had."

"And how do you know what plans I had?"

The Chronicler shot him one of her emotionless glares. Jareth swallowed hard. Of course. She was reading his mind.

"I'll think about it…" he said quickly, and returned to reading.

Eve changed her position in the corner. She knew that Margot had made her move. The game had finally started. All that was left to do was to move the pawns on the chessboard. Somehow, the empty inside of the Chronicler felt faint spark of anticipation which died as quickly as it appeared.

* * *

AB: I had done it like 6 times, so I really don't want to do it again. Disclaimer in previous chapters. I don't own anything except serious headache. Dziękuję bardzo.

Also today's chapter is brought to you thanks to Shiroikami, my new Beta. This means it's less painful to read it for people who are sensitive with grammar/spelling mistakes.


	10. Chapter 8:Early spring: Bad ideas

**Chapter 8:**

**Early spring: Bad ideas, are better than no ideas or coincidental meetings are not always as coincidental as we would like them to be or long titles are annoying, right?**

"... And seriously, I feel like I'm being stalked! She just sits there in her corner and keeps staring at me. It's annoying. And what's even worse, recently she's started gathering strange junk. Like books, movies, comic books and so on. Then she's been giving me weird advice! I'd like to tell her to shut up, but believe me, one glance at her and all my courage goes for a walk."

Annie was eating dinner and trying her best to ignore Jareth, who was sitting on a couch and rambling like she was his consultant on Chroniclers and their weird behavior. She couldn't understand him. They never were on good terms, so why was he…

"Jareth, I don't know if you realize that I'm charging a hundred bucks per hour, and you've been here for like, four hours? I hope you can pay." she said to him as coldly as she could. He snorted.

"You wouldn't take money from your family, would you?"

The woman looked at the knife in her hand. "Believe me, I would… And we're not close family, remember? My father is just a chevalier, so go and find closer relatives to annoy."

"You're the only one I trust." Jareth said with emphasis.

"Like I care…" Annie returned to her dinner.

"So what's Sarah doing?"

The question caused her to choke. "Why do you ask?" Then she thought of something. "Hey, you're not going to do anything funny to her, are you?"

Jareth looked at her with face which said: "Who? Me? No way!" But she knew better.

"Listen, why don't you two talk to each other? I mean, you're going to die anyway. So why not explain few things before. Like: Hey, we had quite a history together, I mean, I kidnapped your brother, you kicked my ass, and we had a nice dance in the ballroom, so we can call it even. You'll go back to your life, forget about me, grow old have kids, do all the things mortals do and die, and I'll go back to the Underground, do the magic dance, kick goblins, and be the same stupid jerk I always was. How does that sound to you?"

"Were you drinking the same herbs granny Matilde did? If you remember well, she ended up running through fields naked and singing 'Sound of Music'." Jareth looked at her with some kind of worry in his eyes.

"Oh, shut up! I just gave you absolutely free advice, but if you don't like it, then pay me my five hundred fifty dollars pal."

"All right, all right, you're so hot headed sometimes. I wonder from where you get it from."

"It's a family thing Jareth…"

Through the past months, Sarah had observed the strange reader. From Jake she knew that the girl always appeared when Sarah was at work. Just like now. The only difference was that this time she wasn't sitting alone. There was another person, and to Sarah's surprise she knew that person. Her name was… Merry? Mindy? Morgana? Mabel? Marla? Mar… Margot! Yes, Annie's ex-student. The girls seemed to be deep in their conversation. At some point Sarah manage to sneak near them and overheard scraps of their talk.

"I don't see this as a good idea…" Margot said.

"I don't understand why." The plain girl responded.

"Because that's cheating."

"I don't cheat, I'm incapable of cheating"

"You know, Audrey and Marigold have already guessed what we're doing. What you are trying to do…"

"I know." the black-haired girl interrupted her friend, which went unnoticed for few seconds.

"… won't go… Wait. What?"

"I know that the Empress knows. I have already spoken with her. She's on my side."

"WHAT?" Margot shouted, and then noticed Sarah. She smiled apologetically and waved to her. "Sorry, got a bit carried away."

Sarah shook her head a bit. "Don't mention it, but try to be quieter, ok?"

"Sure."

She thought that the girls would continue, but they waited for her to leave. Sighing she walked back to her post and tried to figure out who the hell "the Empress" was. As far as she knew there were no Empires whatsoever in this century. She also got a hunch that Annie might know what was going on around here lately.

She took books from her counter and went to put them back at their shelves. When she got back, she froze at the sight of certain Goblin King standing near her counter. Sarah looked around trying to find Jacob, but he was nowhere to be seen. Finally she braced herself, muttering: "Remember Sarah, he has no power over you."

Jareth was looking around trying to find Eve. The bloody Chronicler was suppose to keep an eye on his house while he was away. "_So this is where she's getting all of those ridiculous ideas. Public library._" He snorted on the "public" part. Didn't the rulers of this country know that it was easier to rule over uneducated pests than intelligent people? The Goblin King scanned the area. He could feel the presence of the demon somewhere near, but she was hiding. He couldn't understand it. First she left a note to come here, and now? What was going on, for Stars sake? Then he saw her. Sarah Williams. The anger boiled in him as he saw her approaching but he quickly regained his composure and almost chuckled at her determined face. Ah, yes. She had changed, here and there, a full _mortal_ woman, thanks to whom he was ridiculed in front of other king and queens of Faerie…

"Sarah, how nice to see you. Who am I to thank for this lovely moment?"

"What are you doing here, Goblin King?" Sarah hissed.

"My, you're beautiful when you're angry. But you should be careful, sweetheart, you wouldn't want to get wrinkles Besides, isn't this place, well, public?" He leaned on his forearm, on the counter.

"And what makes you, a king, come to the place which is public, I mean, open for peasants?"

"Good question, my dear. It seems there are some of my…" he originally wanted to say "servants" but then he spotted the Chronicler and the Channel a few meters behind Sarah. Both were observing them. Too far away to interrupt his little talk, but too close for him to address them like that. Instead he said a bit nervously, "... friends here." He cursed himself mentally for it, and begged the stars for her not to notice. "Have you seen them?" He added, back with his smooth talk.

Sarah tried to look behind her, to see what had caught Jareth's eye, but the king took her hand and said softly. "My poor little Sarah, your hands are those of a person who works too hard for her own good. You could have saved yourself from this, if you only had chosen me over your little brother. Oh, by the way, how is he?"

Sarah wrested her hand out of Jareth's grip.

"You, Goblin King, have no right to be here. And for your information my brother is fine. Now just in case you need to be reminded, Jareth. You. Have. No. Power. Over. Me!"

The Fae looked like she had just slapped him with an encyclopedia. Then he became tense, his face become green, and he sprinted out of the library like a hellhound was after him.

Margot watched at the whole scene with a smile. "It seems I'm winning."

Eve took a book from the shelf and flipped few pages. "For now."

Later that day, Annie was sitting in the living room building a card castle. She had already made the towers. Now she was going to build the battlements, when Sarah stormed into the apartment like a furious valkyrie and the whole thing collapsed.

"Great." she snorted and looked at her very angry friend. "What happened? Invasion of bookworms? Or just an annoying client?"

"Both would be much better than the reality." Sarah almost knocked down Annie's favorite vase when she took off her jacket.

"Let me guess, my overconfident cousin?" The look on the girl's face confirmed it. "Listen don't give him much thought. He's childish and, as I said, an overconfident, egotistical jerk. Nothing will change that. If you're going to take everything he says seriously, you're going to need a shrink and a lot of sedatives soon." The woman turned back to her cards. "Go take a hot bath with scented oils or something, and forget about him. If that doesn't help_, _I'll organize a psychodrama for both of you_._" She heard a quiet click when her flatmate went into her room. '_Hm, maybe I should have told her about what the goblins did to her chest of drawers..._'

"JARETH!"

'_Oh, well I think she found out anyway…"_

_

* * *

AB:_ ok folks._ Disclaimers in previous chapters, but it's pretty obvious I don't own anything about the Labyrinth... And, if any of you wonder what "psychodrama" is, then just type it at Wikipedia for some info. That's all, I think. Oh, and please Review. I'm really pleased by your fav's and adding my story to your alerts but I'd like to know what do you think about my story. Thanks ;]  
_


	11. Chapter 11: Boxers

**Chapter 9**

**Early Spring: Boxers, plans and alliances **

All Jareth wanted was a good night's sleep. The bloody demon had sucked out another portion of his magical power again, and he didn't feel well. But someone had decided otherwise. The banging at the doors had been going on for ten minutes or so by now. He got up, blaming the whole universe for his misery, and opened the doors. Then he almost literally turned into a stone for a second.

"Why, I didn't know you would miss me so much, dear Sarah."

"Cut the sweet-talk Goblin King. I knew you were the lowest form of life, but sending your goblins to mess with my stuff? That's not even the kindergarten level of revenge, if you even want to call it like that." Obviously she was… displeased. The Goblin King was confused (even if her annoyed face improved his mood).

"As you have noted, Sarah dearest, such an act is below my level. I did not send my goblins to, as you put it, 'mess with your stuff'. Has anything gone missing, like socks, maybe?"

"And you think I would believe you? You're a cheat and a liar. If you must know, yes, few socks and… other things" The way she said "other things", made Jareth definitely curious about them.

"Sarah, I'm seriously hurt by your accusation. I did not cheat you nor did I lie. The game was simply mine, hence rules were mine to interpret. Besides what fun would it be if it was a 'piece of cake'"? Remember, you still won, didn't you? What _other_ things?"

"It… ugh…can you put something on, please?" she waved her hand at him, her face a little bit pink. He didn't understand her. What was wrong with his black satin boxers? He tilted his head in very bird like way and asked.

"Am I disturbing you?"

She made the facepalm thing. "It's barely the beginning of March, Jareth. And you're half naked."

"So this is a problem? Let me remind you, I'm far above your human limitations." He smirked. Her uneasiness was most enjoyable to him. "And I'm not ashamed of my body. Once again, what other things went missing?"

"I'd sort of figured that out." She snorted. "And the other things are none of your business."

"But they are. How else am I going to get them back to you?"

She huffed. "I don't need you to! I want you to know, Goblin King, whatever you are planning, it won't work on me, understood!"

"Very well, if you insist on it. It was nice to see you again Sarah." The talk was over, Sarah turned on her heels, sending Jareth one last irritated glance, and walked away. As he closed the door, he felt, that someone was behind him.

"I wonder who told her where I live."

"It was your cousin probably." Margot said.

"What are you doing here? Your creepy friend is keeping an eye on me, so you are not needed here."

He walked past her and headed back to his bedroom.

"I think it's a good idea." She said with a smirk.

"What idea?" he stopped and looked at her.

"You know, little things are causing big misery sometimes. Like those goblins. She looked quite unbalanced and helpless…"

Jareth scanned the Channel's face. She had a point there. He did not need big plans for revenge. Small steps, yes, simplicity. Why not? The girl smiled widely.

"See you later, Your Highness." She bowed slightly and disappeared.

The next second she appeared in front of Annie.

"How are ya?"

"Quite good, but what am I supposed to do with them?" Annie pointed at five goblins who were trying on Sarah's undergarments. One of them was wearing her bra on his head, another wore her panties like a vest.

"How should I know? I'm only the Channel, not the Oracle."

"But the plan is yours."

"Then send them back, you can do that, right?"

"Ok." Annie waved her hand and the goblins disappeared, leaving some of Sarah's clothing parts behind. "What's your next move?"

"Right now, I'll wait."

"What about the Chronicler? You said that the Empress…"

"They won't interfere. Audrey agreed that our little game might be useful, so they'll just watch unless we 'do something bad,' as she put it. I'd better go, Sarah will get back soon."

Suddenly the doors slammed.

"Speaking of the devil."Annie said and turned to say something more to Margot, but the Channel was already gone. "Hm, that was a bit rude."

Eve watched as Jareth slept. She had a feeling that those goblins about which Sarah was speaking were Margot's doing. It meant she had an ally. Fortunately, Eve also had one.

"Jeremy, how's the situation?"

"Not good, he keeps on pushing me out. If we just could find some kind of a crack in his overstuffed ego…" the conscience wrung his hands, and sighed heavily.

"I can't believe that he took Margot's suggestion, not mine." The demon sounded a bit grumpy.

"Yours weren't as convincing as hers, you know. Especially the first one. What do we do now?"

"Wait until further development."

Sarah didn't know how, but suddenly her life had become more difficult than it was. Small accidents started to happen around her, like falling books or disappearing or unexpectedly appearing objects. In the beginning her friends were laughing at her "bad luck" but as it continued they preferred to stay away from her since those accidents affected also people closer to her as well. At first she stayed calm, waiting for it to stop. She somehow knew who the source of all the mishaps was, and thought when she ignored them, HE would stop bothering her. But it did not happen. So naturally Sarah became fed up with the charade.

"I can't believe he's doing all of this!" She huffed, pacing in circles with irritation. "What does he want to achieve with it?"

"Revenge?" Annie replied a bit musingly and a bit in-matter-of-fact. "Sarah I'll repeat what I said before: Ignore him. He'll get tired and give up."

"Well, I've been ignoring him for two weeks now, and my boyfriend had dumped me because, and I quote: 'just too many strange things happen around you _honey, _maybe later', and you know what? I'm not surprised, because earlier a bucket of water poured over us, it was hanging in mid-air by the way, and dozens of flowerpots had practically attacked us. Not to mention that Buddhist, who popped out of a hole in the street." If Sarah had paid attention to Annie she would see a bright and amused smile on her face.

"A Buddhist?" she asked with curiosity, but quickly regained her composure. "See, just as I said, he's carrying out his little vendetta against you. Listen, you seriously damaged both his ego and reputation, so it's natural he's a bit… out of control."

"A bit? He kidnapped my brother and almost changed him into a goblin! And you're saying HIS ego is damaged? He almost killed me in that Labyrinth! And now this! Ugh! I hate that… that… Fatheaded, magic dancing, idiot of a king!"

She stomped out of the kitchen, slamming doors with such force that they almost fell out.

"So far, so good." Annie murmured as she listened to the noises of heavy things being thrown at walls. She sighed. "At least she's not breaking the plates."

Jareth was pleased. He watched in his glass orbs as his dear Sarah became more and more frustrated. Soon he would launch the final blow and break her will.

"Then what?" Jeremy asked him all of a sudden.

"What do you mean by that?" Goblin King looked at his conscience quizzically.

"I mean what are you going to do with her after that?"

"Why should I do anything with her after that? I'm going to live my life the way it should be, free from the presence of that woman."

"And that would be good?"

"Of course! Why should I miss that mortal?"

"I don't know, she looked quite nice in that dress when she performed scenes from the book, didn't she?"

"Jeremy?"

"Yes?"

"Shut up."

Jareth's good humor had evaporated. Yes, he did remember that, and tried to forget. Reminding him of it was unnecessary. He looked again into the orb, but became annoyed and threw it across the room. He already couldn't transform into an owl anymore unless he wanted to stay as a bird forever. The tricks he had pulled over the last two weeks made him tired and that was actually nothing. Simple tricks! Even a kid could do them. Little by little he knew he was becoming a human. It was the only way he could be thrown into the Abyss if, by any chance he didn't "reform" or "repent," or whatever. He closed his eyes and drifted into a sleep, dreaming of a girl he had met once, but she wasn't real anymore.

* * *

Disclaimer: Jareth, Sarah =Jim Henson.I'm writing for fun, and make no money out of it.

And there's a little quiz for you guys. Somewhere in the chapter is a reference to a book, really good book. Anyone who will find it and give me the title of the book will get a cake ;]

Please! Review! I beg of you! (or Jareth will throw you into a Bog of Eternal Stench). Have a nice day


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